Field
The present technology relates generally to apparatuses and methods for securing a medical instrument, such as a lead, within a burr hole.
Background
Increasingly, leads associated with electrodes or other components that can be used for sensing signals from or delivering a form of modulation to a patient's neural tissue are partially implanted in a patient's brain through a burr hole that is formed (e.g., using a drill fitted with a special drill bit) in the patient's cranium (cranial bone or skull). To prepare for forming the burr hole, the scalp over the site is removed or temporarily retracted. After the burr hole is formed, a portion of a lead is implanted through the burr hole so that electrodes or other components that are associated with the lead are distally located at a desired target or targets in the brain. Once a distal portion of a lead is positioned at the target(s), it may be desirable to secure a proximal portion of the lead in the vicinity of the burr hole in the hopes of minimizing the extent to which the distal portion of the lead will shift, for example, away from the target(s), for so long as the lead is intended to remain implanted in the patient and to function for its intended purpose(s).
The drawings referred to in this description should not be understood as being drawn to scale unless specifically noted.